Aggregate Industries US has launched a comprehensive strategy designed to reduce corporate CO2 emissions per ton of production, and improve energy efficiency across the US business.

The purpose of this strategy is to establish and publicize a target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs), improve the overall energy efficiency of the business and identify opportunities for the use of renewable energies. These objectives will be completed over the next 12 months.

Aggregate Industries US has joined the EPA Climate Leaders Partnership, a voluntary program that challenges companies to set an aggressive, corporate-wide GHG reduction goal, and to perform an annual inventory of GHG emissions.

In addition, the company has become a partner of the Cool Climate Concrete Program (C3), a project run by Horst, Inc. that purchases carbon offset credits from concrete manufacturers based on the amount of fly ash, slag or other cementitious materials incorporated into the concrete mix. The inclusion of these materials reduces the amount of cement needed in the production of concrete, and leads to decreases in levels of CO 2.

Aggregate Industries US will also be targeting its vehicle fleet as a further means of reducing its overall CO 2 emissions, by launching a pilot program to test the viability of biodiesel for its ready-mix trucks. It will also be piloting the use of solar power as a means of generating electricity, as well as installing solar panels on the roof of its new Bradstone facility in Nevada to determine the viability of broader applications of solar power across the business.

As this strategy has just been launched, results are not yet available. However, Aggregate Industries US hopes to be able to provide initial results in 2008.